Greek government survives vote over Macedonia

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s leftled coalition government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Saturday brought over a deal to end a decades-old dispute with neighbouring Macedonia concerning the latter’s name.

But the government suffered a loss in its parliamentary majority after lawmaker Dimitris Kammenos of the nationalist Independent Greeks, the government’s junior coalition partner, voted in favour. He was kicked out of the party immediately after the vote, leaving the governing coalition with a three-member majority.

Lawmakers voted 153-127 in the 300-member parliament against the motion brought by the conservative main opposition party over the deal to rename the former Yugoslav republic North Macedonia. In the agreement, Athens would drop its objections to the country joining NATO and the European Union.

Thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament during the debate. Scuffles broke out, with riot police firing tear gas to stop protesters from breaching police lines.

Some of the protesters tried to break into the parliament after the vote was over, but were pushed back. There was one arrest. A few flame bombs were thrown by police and one protester was injured.

Parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis accused the extremeright Golden Dawn party and what he called its “shock troops” of being behind the clashes.

The deal reached by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev last week aims to end a bitter dispute that has roiled the two countries’ relations since shortly after Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Greece argued the term “Macedonia” implied territorial claims on its province of the same name, which is the birthplace of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, and usurped its ancient Greek heritage and history.

The deal was met with fury by critics in both countries, who accuse their respective prime ministers of conceding too much.

“Hatred toward the country of another is not patriotism,” Tsipras said during his speech in parliament.

The agreement will be signed this morning by the two nations.